Drill guides are often used to assist surgeons in creating a pilot hole prior to screw insertion as the drill guides allow greater precision and control while create the pilot hole. During posterior cervical surgical procedures for example, drill guides are used to assist the surgeon setting the depth of the pilot hole, based on the length of the screw, to ensure the hole is drilled at the proper depth. Typically, this often requires that the surgeon estimate the appropriate length for the screw, preset the guide to the appropriate depth based on the bone screw size estimation, place the guide in the surgical opening, and finally drill the pilot hole. Subsequently, the surgeon may take a series of real-time X-rays to determine if the pilot hole depth is sufficient. If it is not, the surgeon must remove the drill guide, reset the drill guide to the appropriate length, and reintroduce the instrument to the surgical wound or opening. This can be time-consuming, creates numerous opportunities for error, and increases the risk of infection.
In order to make real-time adjustments without removing the drill guide from the surgical opening, surgeons must be afforded the luxury of using a drill guide that requires the use of only one hand to make any necessary incremental adjustments to increase hole depth. As the drill guide is operable by using only one hand, instead of two as described in prior art, the surgeon is able to adjust the depth of the drill guide with one hand while maintaining the drill in the other hand. This is important as it prevents the necessity of removing the drill guide from the surgical opening and the instrument can remain in-situ. The drill guide described herein, allows the surgeon to introduce the drill guide into the surgical area and adjust the depth as necessary with one squeeze of the trigger, thus, addressing the need to make real-time adjustments within the surgical area.